Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1887-03-12
TUBERCULOsIs.
Va the legislative Invesn,.,,r.
Committee.


Inc undersigned, majority NJ ~.
uii'tee appointed by joint order ~ ,ho .'r
nouses Oh the legislature to investioa,a 49,
cause or causes of the late outbreak ~ s;a
AIMING the cattle at the State Co,,ona
iaru, the loss of other cattle at .oid
prior 10 that time, the disposal of the ca,,ia
tnerelrom, and the dongs and corrasnn
uehce or the Commissioners on Con,snio'1
diseases Among Cattle and in relation to ,ho
SAME nave attended to that duty and .f,o,
several hearings and an exhaustive eYam;na
t,oh Vi the facts, beg leave to report. that m
S.o.a rom winch the herd of cattle at the
GA ooege Iarm was suffering in March
and April, 1886, was tuber .ulosis a d;saa.n
identical with consumption in tho h '
family; that said disease, according IN ,ha
evidence introduced before us, which 10 mada
part OF this report, is contagious. and read
ny communicated by reason of the corst.u
ihtermlngling of the different animals of y
nero together, and is transmitable from e;tbor
parent to its offspring. o'Ae'
Inc GATE and source of the first introdrc-
tion OF the disease into the college herd "a
unknown, but the evidence tends to discIoea
lhat II mad existed there for some wears. and
that IL mad caused the death of several cattle
n .aii iarm before the slaughter of the herd
IN April, 1886
The outbreak of said disease there in tho
winter and spring of 1886 was tho r,ns,
malignant on record, and seems to have haan
caused by the collecting and ipterminpling of
so many cattle. some of which. at least. were
diseased IN close and wel-finished stables
anu ny the thorough impregnation of said
Staples with contagious virus from those and
FORMER diseased animals. Little out door ex
ercise and concentrated and stimulating food
were also potent factors in the rapid extension
and progress of the disease.
ms herd, appears to have jbeen
thoroughly inbred, which fact caused the
disease to develop ia an unusually severe
form
The disposal of the cattle from said farm
for several years past is shown by the evil
dence introduced before US and is referred to
Inc doings and correspondence of the
Commissioners on contagious diseases among
the cattle on said farm, are also herewith
submitted in the evidence introduced. The
facts seem to fully justify the destruction of
the entire College herd.
In relation to those cattle sold from the
College farm for several years past, if we are
allowed by the terms of the order for investi-
CATION to make a recommendations we must
certainly recommend most careful exanna-
ton of those animals. and especially the
bulls recently sold therefrom, by a competent
board of cattle commissioners, to the end that
every vestge of said disease, wherever found,
may be stamped out and destroyed As a
committee of this legislature, we take no part
In any controversy arising out of this matter
Yet we cannot help coming to the conclusion
that the Cattle Commissioners have not given
such attention to this case as the exigencv
required, and we respectfully suggest that the
existing condition of things may have grow
out of the fact that one of the members of
said Commission seems to have held several
official positions, the duties of which were
incompatible with each other.
We make the majority report of the Cattle
Commissions signed by DR.. Bailey and Messrs.
Bell and Ferguson. part of the
evidence in this investigation and as
we respectfully call attention to the testimony
given in said investigation by DR.. J. F. Win
chester of Lawrence, Massachusetts, a men,
Der of the Cattle Commission of Massachu-
sets, and A. W. Cheever of Dedham, Massa-
chusetts, also a member of said Board, and
others.
The above report is signed by I. C. Libby,
who differs from the other members of the
Committee in the recommendation of the ex-
animation at the States expense of any ap-
parently well animals and also any reflection
on any member of the Cattle Commission.
Samuel H. Allen, / Committee on the part
Alfred w Rich, of the Senate.
5, ); Walton .dtms Committee on the part
l. c. Libbv of the House.